Ohio’s New Frontier

What we need and what I am calling for, is nothing less than an economic and political revolution, a sea change in our society and institutions. Let us build a new economy for Ohio. We’re going to push Ohio into new industries and new frontiers.

Ohio will be at the forefront of new medical technology leveraging existing institutions like the Cleveland Clinic to bring advances in medicine and help lower the cost of health care for all. We will be at the forefront of new agricultural technology leveraging institutions like the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center and no longer will the greatest innovations in farming be monopolized by massive multinational corporations but instead be open to fair market competition so that the farmers of Ohio can truly benefit. We will be at the forefront in new energy technologies not just in their development but in their implementation in new smart electric grids across the state to power our new industries and new manufacturing with cheap, abundant electricity. We will invest in new communication and transportation infrastructure to bring our state closer together in ways it never has been before and bring the rest of the world closer to Ohio. We will grow Ohio into a major exporter not just to other states but to the world. We will invest in growing Ohio’s skills ecosystem working with businesses, universities, and community colleges to give our citizens the skills and resources they need to power Ohio’s economic revolution. We will invest in new industries and new businesses, we will give the entrepreneurs the capital and resources they need to explore and expand new markets, to unleash market powers on Ohio’s economy.

We will build Ohio into a state where economies of scale and economies of agglomeration create a positive feedback loop of growth and innovation. Productivity gains and gains from freer trade must no longer only accrue to the wealthiest of society but must lead to corresponding salary increases so that the cycle of productivity growth and economic development can continue. Ohio has a strong foundation for this future, we have the people, we have great research universities, we have resources and strong businesses and institutions to serve as a solid jumping off point. All we need is the political will to do so, a legislature and a governor ready to act, and more important the people of Ohio ready to stand up and demand a better future, who have an entrepreneurial spirit, who will work hard for that future.

This is the future I envision. This future will take time, it won’t be exactly as we imagine it, what businesses and what industries take hold will still depend on prevailing market forces; but we can harness the power of the market to build this future and that is exactly the point. Government and business cannot be antagonistic toward each other. As a state we are at our greatest when we are all working together. Government and entrepreneurship is a partnership that built America into an economic power since the time of Alexander Hamilton, the architect of the American system of economic development that has been adopted by Germany, Japan, South Korea, and China to revolutionize their own economies. We need experimental policy making, policy making that isn’t afraid to make mistakes, policy makers who recognize when they’re wrong and who will act quickly to fix it rather than zealously defend their mistake. We need policy making that tries a portfolio of policy experiments and scales up what works while shutting down what doesn’t. That is harnessing the power of decentralized governing. Through the coordination and cooperation of government, business, our universities, and our citizens at the local, city, and state level we can build a future for all Ohioans. It’s time to demand more from your representatives Ohio, it’s time to set aside the partisan politics and the ideologies for a pragmatic plan to revolutionize Ohio’s economy and system of government.